German Defense Ministry suspends activities on X

BERLIN

The German Defense Ministry said Wednesday it was suspending activities on Elon Musk's X amid accusations that the social media platform is spreading disinformation ahead of the Feb. 23 snap elections.

The ministry said in a statement it will “no longer post pro-actively on the channel for the foreseeable future," arguing that "the fact-based exchange of arguments is becoming increasingly difficult" on X.

The ministry added that it would use a WhatsApp channel in future as an alternative, to provide information about relevant appointments and decisions by the minister as well as news from the ministry.

Last week, more than 55 universities and research institutes in Germany announced they will no longer post content on X, arguing that a "fact-based exchange, open discourse and transparency" was no longer possible.

The German government has accused Musk of interfering in the upcoming vote after the world’s richest person and ally of US President-elect Donald Trump threw his support behind the far-right Alternative for Germany party. He also held an online talk with the AfD’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, on X last week.

While he is free to express his opinion, “in fact, Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election through his statements,” deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told a recent press briefing in Berlin.